84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003
Family Living
Focus
by
Margaret R.
Malehorn
Cumberland Co.
Extension Agent
Balance For
Healthy Kids
Before you get home tonight,
you’ll have finished a hill day of
work, picked-up the children
from day care, and shopped for
groceries. It’s between 6:30 p.m.
or 8:00 p.m. and everybody is
tired and cranky. Just to get
through, you decide to stop for
something fast for supper. Does
this sound like your family?
Many children are making
choices as regular consumers of
fast foods. What might have been
a treat for a child’s celebration at
the fast food place is becoming
more common as families are
rushed to “fit it all in,” day after
day. Whether it’s the night for
dance practice, a softball game,
or music lessons, we frequently
choose to take young kids to fast
food places. Their diets tend to be
more high fat foods and less vari
ety from the Food Guide Pyra
mid.
Although kids can’t always ex
press what they need, research
shows kids will make appropriate
healthy choices if offered a vari
ety of foods over a period of time.
Adults need to provide the vari
ety throughout the week: a citrus
food every day, deep yellow and
dark green vegetable at least
every other day. Teach good eat
ing habits by allowing children to
decide how much food and which
foods without meiking meal time
a battle. They take clues from
how we eat and model our
healthful choices. A week’s worth
of meals that offer a variety of
meats, fish or high protein leg
umes, milk, cheese and yogurt,
colorful fruits and vegetables
served in a variety of ways, cook
ed or raw, are beneficial to every
one.
Watch for signals to teach
good eating habits. Just as babies
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learn to signal parents that they
have had enough to eat, too
much food on a child’s plate can
be overwhelming. It is better to
offer children small portions and
have them ask for another spoon
of food they enjoyed. Children
recognize that some flavors are
appealing, food has shape and
texture.
Toddlers who experiment with
foods tend to have better eating
habits that last a life time. Plan
snacks that combine foods from
two groups to supplement the
small meals that toddlers eat to
meet their daily recommended
nutrients. Offer water for thirst,
juice and milk for foods at meals
and snacks.
Sharing tasks in the kitchen
teaches basic skills: count the
pieces for a place setting or add
two cups of cheese with the mac
aroni.
Encourage your child to help
with grocery shopping and pre
pare food for the family, They
love to see somebody eat what
they made and sometimes will try
it because they mixed it. While
children spoon food on their own
plate they practice eye-hand
coordination; managing the peas
on a spoon is a lot harder com
pared to a spoon of mashed pota
toes. Use food to teach color;
which foods are green?
When you are thinking of stop
ping for a quick supper again,
consider the alternatives. Our
children learn so much with
meals at home. Tonight might be
the first time she tries putting the
spread on her bread, or he cuts a
baked potato.
Without distractions of others
in the restaurant or the television
blaring, maybe they’ll tell you
about their day or together you’ll
plan a family day trip.
A meal that offers two vege-
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Project ABLE Helps People Understand
What It’s Like To Live With A Disability
HONESDALE (Wayne Co.)
If you’ve never experienced it
yourself, it’s hard to imagine
what it’s like to live with a disa
bility everyday. That’s exactly
why a group of parents in Hazle
ton got together and started Proj
ect ABLE (Acceptance By Learn
ing Experiences).
Project ABLE consists of a se
ries of workstations that simulate
different disabilities. Kim Huff,
one of the project’s founders, ex
plains, “By using a workstation,
you get a sense of what it’s like to
live with a disability.” Huff also
explains that they keep the expe
rience fun because when every
one is laughing, you take away
the fear and embarrassment of
asking questions.
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion and the Pennsylvania De
partment of Public Welfare,
Pennsylvania Pathways Program
are sponsoring a Project ABLE
workshop for child care
providers, parents, teach-
ers, and anyone else work
ing with children. The
workshop is scheduled for
Thursday, March 27 from
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the
Lakeside School, Hon
esdale. Call (570)
253-5970, extension 239 to
register. Cost for the pro
gram is $1 to cover the
cost of materials and re
freshments.
At the workshop you’ll
have the opportunity to
experience what it is like
tables, a fruit, milk, whole
grain bread and meat pro
vides essential nutrients
and lots of potential for
rich family memories. Let
the good times roll. Maybb
there is even time for you
to walk together after sup
per.
To top off the day, get a
good night’s sleep and to
gether you will reduce the
risk of obesity, diabetes,
and grow healthy.
2003 ANIMAL HEALTH
AND HOUSING REFERENCE GUIDE
SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2003
FOCUS: HERD HEALTH, ODOR CONTROL
• Improving Herd Health
• Herd Odor Control Feature
• Silo Management
• Nutrient Management Planning
For Confinement Operations
to live with several different disa
bilities by visiting workstations.
One workstation simulates At
tention Deficit Disorder/
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and/or Dyslexia. At this
station, you will be given a set of
headphones (which magnifies the
sound around you) to wear, given
verbal instructions and asked to
complete a writing exercise. To
simulate dyslexia, you are given a
worksheet and asked to complete
it by looking in a mirror.
At the gross motor station, you
have to climb stairs or catch a
ball while your arms or legs are
restrained in some way. You
might also be asked to get around
in the room with a wheelchair.
The communication station fo
cuses on speech, hearing and
memory, and another station will
help you understand what it is
like to have a neurological disor
der or arthritis.
Advertising Deadline
March 24
Call 717-721-4416 To Reserve
Your Ad Space For This
Special Reference Guide
Debra Bryant, Penn State Co
operative Extension Educator in
Wayne County, and herself, the
parent of a special needs child,
invites everyone to join in this
evening of learning and fiin. You
will get answers to all your ques
tions about the issues surround
ing children with special needs.
You will also learn about the
Special Kids Network, an in
formation and referral service for
families seeking services for their
children. The group also facili
tates connections between com
munity organizations, agencies,
and individuals to enhance or
create services for children with
special needs.
For more information or to
register, call the Wayne County
office of Penn State Cooperative
Extension at (570) 253-5970, ex
tension 239. Childcare providers
will receive 2 DPW training
hours for participating.